International Launch Site Guide

An update to the 1994 text, the second edition of the "International Launch Site Guide" offers general information about the world's principal operating launch sites as well as details on sites that are expected to be operational in the near future. This edition also includes changes that have taken place over the past decade in both the space industry and the national space programs, including those that reflect the new geopolitical realities of the post-Cold War world. Like the 1994 version, the second edition provides valuable information on sites that are capable of launching commercial payloads. However, this version expanded its selection criteria to include several sites because of their importance to scientific studies, their strategic political importance or because they are newly operational. In addition to the new criteria used to select sites that are included in this edition, the second edition also offers an expanded overview and history for each entry, placing the launch site in its historical and geographical perspective. As in the first edition, the operational capabilities of each site are detailed, including current facilities and point of contact for each site - offering payload planners all the information they need to make a well-informed site selection decision.